Director Guillermo del Toro confirmed that the sequel to the 2013 sci-fi blockbuster will hit cinemas on April 7, 2017.

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Del Toro also revealed that a Pacific Rim animated series will surface before the release of Pacific Rim 2.

He recently announced that the movie will follow on from the events of the last movie and not be a prequel as previously suggested.

The filmmaker revealed that he is working "very, very hard with Zak Penn" - writer of The Incredible Hulk - to shape a new story that features Raleigh Becket (Charlie Hunnam) and Mako Mori (Rinko Kikuchi).

He told fans: "I'm going for very new, very crazy ideas on the second one, which are very different from the first one - but you will get really great spectacle."